Argosy All-Story Weekly, February 5, 1921 — page 110: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

896 the world without fear, Then, of course, it won’t make any difference whether or not your story is printed.” “T see,’ Hemment muttered musingly. “But how did you come to marry him that evening? I suppose it was Under- wood’s suggestion that the wedding he hastened?” ‘No, it wasn’t. It was,entirely my own idea,” the girl declared. “I wished to prove my faith in him. TI told him that I was fully satisfied that he was innocent, and to show how little I cared what the rest of the world might think about it I wanted to marry him right away—before he succeeded in vindicating himself. He demurred at first—protested, with that fine sense of ‘honor of his, that 1t wasn’t fair to permit me to share his name until the stain on it was removecd---but I insist- ed, and after a while he was won over. We were married that evening by the parson of a small church in Westchester County.” “T see,” her companion said again. “You poor little child!” he added com- miseratinglv, “Why do you say that?” she demand- ed, an angry glint in her eyes. “I fail to see, Mr. Hemment, why you should con- sider me an object of pity. I assure you that I don’t—don’t feel that way about it. On the contrary, I consider myself the most fortunate girl in the world-—and certainly the happiest.” Hemment winced. “ Tel! me about the ".—er—the tragedy in the Interborough Building,” he said gently. “ When did you first hear that your late employer had been murdered ?”’ “Not until tHe next morning. I saw it in the newspapers, [Ethan was very up- set about it, and so was his friend Mr. Moncrief. They regarded it as a most un- fortunate coincidence—happening at this time.”’ ‘A coincidence, eh!”’ her visitor could not help remarking with a grim smile on his face. ‘“‘ Of course,” said Cecilie, frowning. ‘‘ If you are insinuating, Mr. Hemment, that Ethan had anything to do with that awful crime, or knew anything about it, you are ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. making a very big mistake, and are going to be ashamed of your unjust suspicions later on. ‘The fate of that unhappy man and his partner is as much a mystery to us as it is to the rest of the world. But, just the same, Ethan couldn’t afford to have the police learn that it was he whom Wrig- ley had been spying upon only a few hours before his dreadful end. You must realize that this startling development made it more amportant than ever, from our stand- point, that the facts about my assignment must not become known. ‘“ Just think of the undesirable publicity it would have brought on my husband if the authorities ‘had learned that not only was it his office window which the victim of the murder had been watching, but that he was married to the young woman who had obtained employment in that room across the street by masquerading as a deaf stenographer who could read lips! Why, even though he really knew nothing about the crime, he would have become a prominent figure in the case. His picture would have been published in all the pa- pers, and his secret would have been almost sure to come out.” ‘IT can see that he had considerable rea- son for ‘being worried,” Hemment put in dryly. ‘‘In the circumstances tt is not surprising that he decided he had better postpone his honeymoon and get his bride out of reach of the police. I suppose it was his idea to have you efface yourself until the trouble had blown over? Or did the suggestion come from his friend Mr, Moncrief?” ‘“It was Mr. Moncrief who suggested it,’ the young woman replied. ‘ Ethan was opposed at first to my running away. He was afraid that such a step might place me in a compromising position, and he protested that he would rather a hun- dred times face the consequences himself than have me suffer any embarrassment on his account. But Mr. Moncrief insist- ed that it was the only way out of our. dilemma. He argued that it would be only for a short time. As soon as the maa. in Colorado made the confession which' would set Ethan right in the eves cf thes.